Tangled Betrayals (37 page)

Chapter
Ninety-Two

The Wedding

Mary looked around and smiled as she saw the tired faces of the families who gathered this day to watch her wed James. At least, she wouldn’t be the only one with dark eyes and little sleep. But none of that mattered. Today, she was finally having her dream come true. She was to be the wife of James Parker.

“Father, how are you doing?
Are you sure you’re up for this?”

“
I won’t lie, Mary, my shoulders fairly sore, but nothing can stop me from giving my beautiful daughter away, nothing!

Mary leaned up and kissed her father on the cheek. “I love you, Father.”

“And I love you, Mary.”

Andrew and Matilda were the only ones who appeared to have had a good
night’s rest. They had no idea about last night’s activities. Someday, when they were older, Mary and James would explain what had happened the night before, but until then, Mary prayed this subject remained forgotten for some time.

The wedding had been
very simple and Mary soon realized the vows they had spoken had taken but a few minutes to exchange. Yet, she’d waited a lifetime to speak those glorious words. Hugs and kisses were exchanged by all as they gathered together for a small meal to celebrate the marriage. Annabelle and Constance had made a lovely cake which was enjoyed by the children and many of the men, who gladly took second and third helpings.

It was
soon time for Mary and James to head for Baltimore, where they planned to spend their first night together. Thomas had been kind enough to loan them his carriage. John Webb had offered to take Thomas, Anna and Jane back to their place later in the day.

Mary was pleased when Annabelle and Clayton offered to keep Andrew and Matilda until the
ir return from spending a few days alone on Chesapeake Bay, after their first nights stay in Baltimore.

“Come Andrew and Matilda, we must leave now
to get you settled at Grandma and Papa’s house.” James cringed to see the tears running down their cheeks as they said their final goodbyes to Lightning and Star. It was far worse than he’d imagined.

The carriage moved slowly away
. Among the many loud cheers of the well wishes, Mary couldn’t help but hear the soft sobs of Andrew and Matilda behind her.

They left the
plantation and Mary felt a tug at her heart when she noticed James had taken one last look with tears barely kept away.

“The new owner will take possession of the plantation in a couple of weeks.” James informed Mary. “I’m glad he also bought Lightning and Star. That way, the children could leave knowing their horses were still living in the place they’d grown accustomed to.”

Mary saw his tears
but said nothing. She continued to look straight ahead, waiting for James to start a conversation. She knew it was up to James to deal with such sorrow alone. She only hoped he’d be able to manage to put this day behind him and enjoy and commit to their beginning together.

Mary feared
what would happen in the next week or two when James finds out she and Edward betrayed his trust. What would he do? Would he forgive them? She prayed he would. Soon she would have her answer. But for now, she will pretend all was right with the world, and have a grand time during these few days alone with James. It may be her last happy days as, Mrs. James Parker.

Chapter
Ninety-Three

The honeymoon was everything Mary could have hoped. After their first night at the glorious Baltimore Hotel, they spent the remainder of their time at a wonderful inn close to the bay. They went for walks holding hands and kissing as they had once done so long ago. Mary felt James had finally put the last few months behind him. She knew being away from the plantation helped him immensely, since he didn’t have the everyday reminder of what was lost.

When it was first announced James and Mary would wed,
James’s father pulled him aside and gave him a small sum of money to take Mary away for a few days. His father made it clear this was a wedding gift to be used on this particular trip.

He was to take the money
and not say a word. It was as much for Mary as for him, his father had said, since he felt they deserved a chance to have a few days alone, before they started their new life together as a family.

For once, James did as asked. He was grateful he could do something special for Mary
, without dipping into the small amount of money left from the auction. He hoped to find a decent job after they returned from their honeymoon.

*****

When James and Mary excitedly pulled in front of his parent’s home, after their few days at the bay, Andrew and Matilda came running out to greet them.

“We
’re so happy you’re home. Did you bring us anything?” Matilda asked, as she hugged her father tightly.

James scooped her up
kissed her chubby cheeks and chuckled as Andrew scolded his sister.

“Hush, Matilda
, you know better than to ask such a question, it isn’t polite!”

J
ames placed Matilda beside Andrew and leaned down on one knee. “Well, as a matter of fact, Mary and I did bring each of you a memento from our trip.”

“Oh
, what is it, Father?” Matilda asked excitedly.

Andrew rolled his eyes. Hadn’t she heard what he
’d said? Was he the only one who knew how to use manners? “Thank you, father, for bringing us something.” Andrew said, trying to sound older than his years.

James was pleased with Andrew’s manners.
“Here Andrew, as you know, we have limited funds, but we thought you might like this.”

“Thank
s, and you too, Mary.” Andrew added and quickly tore off the paper to discover a new shiny pocket knife. “My first knife, I shall be very careful with it. I promise!”

Matilda was struggling to get her package opened
so Mary leaned down and helped her.

“Oh how pretty, can I wear the necklace now?”

“Yes, if you can be careful with it. But in the future, the necklace will only be worn for church or a special occasions,” Mary said, lovingly, and gave her a hug. Mary then hugged Andrew and kissed his cheek even though he teasingly tried to pull away.

“Thank you
Father and Mary for the prettiest necklace ever made!” Matilda said, as she showed her necklace to her grandparents as Andrew patiently waited to show them his new knife.

“What lovely presents,” Annabelle gushed as she admired the two gifts.

“When will you leave for Washington?” Clayton asked. He knew Mary would be aware by this time Edward would have shared their plans to surprise James with a family reception, so he had to pretend to want them to stay on for a few days.

“We
’ll need to leave early in the morning. I’m anxious to go see our new home. Then, I can decide if any repairs may be needed. Besides, the sooner we get back, the sooner I can look for work. Mary keeps telling me the home is in good shape, but I’d like to judge it for myself.”

“Oh, I wish you could have spent another night or two
,” Annabelle remarked, pretending to be sad, but didn’t add anything further.

*****

The next morning came too quickly as far as James was concerned. He hadn’t realized how tired he was
, until his mother knocked on the bedroom door to say breakfast was ready. He then realized Mary was gone from the room, which meant she’d already dressed and was waiting for him, downstairs.

A
s James entered the dining room he apologized for his late arrival. “Sorry I slept in. I can’t believe I’m the last to arrive for breakfast!” James remarked, surprised everyone was already prepared to eat.

“The children and I were hungry. We were about to begin eating without you!” Mary teased. “Everything looks wonderful!” Mary told Annabelle, as she began scooping up food for Andrew and Matilda.

Once
done with breakfast, James, Mary and the children set out for their trip to Washington. There were a few tears as they left, with Annabelle and Clayton sadly waving from their porch as the carriage pulled out.

Mary realized w
ith every mile taken that brought them closer to their plantation, she felt her heart beating a little faster.

“When we will be there?” Andrew asked for the third
time in an hour. They’d finally stopped at the Inn for lunch, that Mary had spoke of earlier, located between Baltimore and Washington.

“Andrew,
we’re stopping to eat lunch. I don’t think we’ll arrive at our new home until late this afternoon. This Inn has excellent food and we can have a chance to stretch our legs.” James stated.

He
hadn’t wanted to take the time so stop and eat, but Mary insisted. She said a packed lunch wouldn’t be that special, not like eating at an Inn. In his heart, James knew Mary and the children needed rest, along with the horses. Mary had convinced him that after lunch, the children would fall asleep for a spell. He hoped she was right.

*****

James was happy to see Andrew and Matilda had gone to sleep
just as Mary thought, shortly after they began the afternoon stretch of their trip. James continued to try and pry answers from Mary about her home, but she continued to give him vague responses.

He knew
Mary was hiding something. Ever since they started today’s journey, she appeared anxious. What was she worried about? Was the house too small to hold all of them comfortably? Maybe that was why Mary eluded the questions he’d continued to ask.

James and Mary rode in silence for the next couple of hours. Mary seemed
even more distant and he hadn’t thought that possible. She offered no conversation to James. He decided maybe she was just overwhelmed at the thought of being married and the new task of raising two children. But in his heart, he knew Mary would be a wonderful wife and mother, even if she didn’t realize that, yet.

*****

Mary knew they were almost home. Thank goodness she lived
just outside of Washington. Mary prayed her plan with Edward was working.

“James, the turn is over th
e next rise. Take the first left.”

Andrew
’s ears perked up when he overheard Mary telling James to make a turn. “Are we really here?” he asked.

“Yes,
you’ll see our home shortly.” Mary responded, so nervous she could barely stop her hands from shaking. The moment of truth was coming and she hoped James would keep an open mind. She didn’t want to think of what might happen if James couldn’t accept what she and Edward had done. At the moment, Mary was full of second thoughts.

As they approached the plantation home, Mary
was relieved she saw no sign of visitors. She prayed the guests were all present and their carriages hidden inside the barn, behind the barn and wherever else Taylor could find a spot for them. She realized she was biting her lip and quickly stopped. She hoped James hadn’t noticed because she truly didn’t want to start answering questions until she was safely inside the house, where others could bear witness to her story.

*****

James was pleasantly surprised when he saw the lovely stone cottage setting not far from a wonderful and large plantation home. The cottage seemed to be perfect. The roof looked solid and it had obviously been well maintained. Mary was very lucky to have such a nice home left to her.

But
as they got closer to the cottage, James was troubled. He saw laundry hanging on the line. Just then, two children came running out to greet them. James stopped the carriage, since they obviously came to speak with them.

“Hi, Miss Mary. We missed you!” Tad said
, as his little sister Cynthia stood beside him.

“I
’ve missed both of you, too. Let me introduce you to my new family, this is my husband, James Parker, and our children, Andrew and Matilda. And this is Taylor, who goes by Tad, and his sister, Cynthia.”

“Pleasure to meet you
, Mr. Parker, are Andrew and Matilda allowed to come with us for some cookies and milk? Mother said it’s fine with her. She just finished baking the cookies and we weren’t permitted to have any until you folks arrived.”

“Could we?” Matilda asked. “I
’m starving.”

“Me too!” Andrew chimed in.

“I think that would be a great idea, don’t you, James? Tad, will you bring Andrew and Matilda to my home once you have finished with your cookies and milk?”

“Gladly,” Tad said. 

Once James got the children out of the carriage, he turned to Mary, “Your home? James knew he was very brisk with his question, but the only other home around was the large one on the hill, that had verandas and appeared to be very similar to the home he just left.

“Well, I
’m trying to explain this in a way you’ll understand. Promise me, James, you’ll hear me out and not say one word until I’m finished.”

James had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.
He was pretty sure what Mary might have to say. She didn’t really own the house, she lived there as a servant. He knew many times people hired the entire family to help with the plantation and then allowed them to live in the servants quarters. He was fairly certain this was why Mary acted so strangely their entire trip. She had lied about owning a home.

He
had to take a deep breath, “I’ll hold my tongue the best I can, Mary, but once you’ve finished, you might not like what I’ve to say. I feel you haven’t been honest with me. Am I right?”

“Please drive up to the plantation home and I
’ll tell you everything inside, I promise.” Mary said firmly. She didn’t like the tone James had used or his last question, for she had lied.